Education for Development in Northern Pakistan: Opportunities and Constraints for Rural Households

Education is seen as one of the key factors for development and it is given high priority in development agendas. This book exemplifies the links between schooling and development in Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan, which is considered a model region for successful educational expansion and rural development. In this cutting-edge academic study , the author shows in detail the trajectories of educational development in Gilgit-Baltistan from the earliest schools to the establishment of the first university and provides explanations for educational disparities along the lines of regional and intra-denominational variation, as well as socio-economic and gender-related inequalities. This original research work with in-depth village case studies in three unique rural communities of Gilgit-Baltistan provides robust empirical data, analyzed through a state-of the art multi-disciplinary theoretical framework and field work methodology. In detail, the logics of educational choices are analyzed and explained in their local socio-cultural context. Many households could strongly benefit from their education strategies. But the study also draws attention to persisting gender disparities and the threat of a deepening educational and socio-economic divide. It creates awareness for the problems of the educationally marginalized and their unequal chances to participate in education and its benefits.